A tomosynthesis system may be used to form a three-dimensional (3-D) image of an object from a series of two-dimensional (2-D) images. The 2-D images may be obtained from a variety of sources including X-ray systems as used in medical applications. A series of 2-D X-rays of an area of interest of a patient may be used to reconstruct a 3-D image of that area of interest. The series of 2-D images, projection images, generated by the X-ray machine and/or the 3-D reconstruction image of the object are considered to be tomosynthesis data. A tomosynthesis system may be used to produce tomosynthesis data from mammography X-rays.
Compared to conventional 2-D X-ray mammography, tomosynthesis mammography generates a much larger amount data for radiologists to read. Therefore, it is desirable to develop computer-aided detection and diagnosis (CAD) algorithms and visualization techniques to assist radiologists in interpreting tomosynthesis mammography studies.